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July 29, 2008

Actually, we lost the lip balm. I don't know where it is and neither do they, so that's why we made more. I had the ingredients handy from the deodorant. Which, by the way, is still working great. It seems to work best on a slightly damp armpit, to minimize the drag, and it still doesn't stop the sweating (I wear too much black to notice) but smell-wise, it's still a winner.

edit—I got all my supplies, including the sweet little tin, at mountain rose herbs. Just type in tins in the search area. They have a ton of packaging items.

This batch is a teaspoon of cocoa butter, a teaspoon of shea butter, a teaspoon of almond oil, a little vitamin E oil and about 15 drops of sweet orange essential oil. I melted it all and poured it in the tin. I had to put it in the fridge to get it to set up, but the next morning it was perfect and has been out all day and isn't too soft. In the past, I made this with just beeswax and almond oil, with no butters at all, but I like this batch much better.

Unrelated, I got the new j.crew and am totally going to add lace, a ruffle, or some sort of trim to a sweater to copy this way cute number they have. I'm not sure I will add anything at the bottom, though. And will it just scratch my neck? The baby won't like it and she will make it all foody. Oh, the issues.

I hope you find it informative. It's about 8 minutes long. Sometimes when a bunch of people are trying to watch videos at once, you tube says it's no longer available—which is hogwash. Just come back later and try again. Here's the direct link, too.

And look what I found! A video tutorial on using FOE for diaper covers. There are a ton of sewing tutorials on you tube, including what appears to be a 17-part series (possibly more?) on sewing your own underwear. For real. I think it is only one pair (the pace is pretty slow going and the clips are really short, hence the high number of episodes) and combines all the crazy reasons I love the internet. It's incredibly rad, you'll know what I mean when you watch it.

July 27, 2008

During this last long week I got some props in Willamette Week's Best of Portland issue. (scroll down) I didn't realize this until the week was over. It would have made my long week better, but at least I know now and got some copies to give to family, so that's good. I was chosen for the Best Resource for the Obsessively Independent by the editors and I am completely flattered. This whole article is really funny, creative, and off-the-cuff. It's a great slice of Portland for people not from here, if you are interested, and for us locals it's not the usual best-of-Portland type fare at all. Very cool. Thanks WW!

Okay, I am so scattered. Berry cobbler is piping hot and waiting to be eaten for breakfast. I think the biscuit/berry ratio is off. I might have to make a bumper of biscuits on the side, just in case. I am reading trash right now. Too trashy to even blog about, maybe, but I am continuing to read and enjoy Anna Karenina, so I feel cool and smart again about twice a week. I have much more flitting around in my brain like Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which my mom is now quoting (rad), getting some plaid fabric for a 5-minute skirt, cleaning my craft room, and deciding on my quintessential fall shoe purchase—that kind of thing. And baby got a hold of the mouse while I was going through e-mails and
deleted a bunch and I can't even find them in the trash (I know this
sounds like a dog-ate-my-homework thing, but it's for reals). So, I was
trying to reply to some questions and the short answer is it's
most likely in my FAQ. Sorry for the lame generic-type response.

Oh, the aprons. Okay, there will be an extension for the Gingham Summer Tie One On apron theme. I have not made one yet and would really like to, so how about having them in by September 1st.

July 24, 2008

Deadlines have been met and it's all good, but I am tired. I was hit by a bad sugar craving wednesday and on the way through the kitchen to the backyard made these in a foggy daze. They are crushed up cereal pieces stirred into 1/2 a bag of melted chocolate chips with a bit of salt and then scooped into mini muffin cups. They hardened in the fridge and then went in my mouth for the next few days, making me both happy and ill, depending on the time of day. Thank god they are gone now. This batch made way more than I thought it would. I saw something similar here but just made this up during my stupor. Can't really do it wrong, you know. She calls them Homemade Cereal Bonbons. I call them Day Wreckers.

And then there was the neighborhood fire that involved 6 fire trucks this week. This is from my back door. So that there is 6 firemen hacking away at the roof of a house, behind our house. Like, a house that shares our property line. Much excitement. No one was injured. We were all outside when the area filled up with smoke. The whole event caused much discussion among the girls and much reenactment. And lots of talk about sirens and smoke and some dramatic asthma-like attacks, that kind of thing.

July 22, 2008

So, this here is another summer dress (like this one and this one), but this one is a total mini boden rip off. This is Delia's color and when I found it super-cheap on the outside sales table at Fabric Depot, it had to come home with us. It's rayon. We got some green for Sadie, too. Liddy got nothing, but she has yet to tell us her favorite color. We can't understand a word she says.

It's hard to see in this shot, but the FOE is a light blue. It is also used, unfolded, to slightly gather the bodice. I got fancy and made a ruffle by serging strips (3-thread rolled hem) and gathering it before stitching it on. Lovely. The whole dress just pulls over her head, so no closures to worry about. The mottled rayon look is a bit early 1990s but I still love it for the girls. And I just got the newest mini boden and didn't see that dress in there this year, so I am even happier I made this.

I am thinking about making a video tutorial for FOE soon. I need to find my stick puppet heads.

July 20, 2008

So good and so easy. I use Ina's recipe as a place to start, but it changes a little every time I make it. I always add feta.

But hold the phone! Even though these photos show bulghur, I just made this again 2 days ago with quinoa instead and it was even better! So, this is my new favorite way to make it, for sure. I use this quinoa, no rinsing needed.

Hey, thanks for all the gadget suggestions! Now I have some new ones I must try out. Totally unrelated, I saw this new press-on eyeshadow and am totally freaked out by it, yet strangely fascinated. It's so star trek. If I did competitive ballroom dancing I would totally be rockin' this look. I like to plan these things, just in case.

July 18, 2008

To avoid making this the longest post ever (I already have that covered) I'm going to try and use brevity. A few things: These items are the exact items I have. There are so many different models out there, but I can only vouch for these. There might be better kinds—I have no idea. I love these tools. Love them to death. They are an unexpected love. I wouldn't have thought they would become so important when we first met. The typical life improving gadets like a Kitchen Aid mixer, Cuisinart, coffee grinder—all that, I have not included in this round up.

First up, the apple peeler slicer. Peels, cuts, and slices apples for pie and crisp in the wink of an eye. Just make sure the apples are fresh and firm. Outstanding. The pineapple cutter. Yeah. I LOVE this goofy thing. I use it so much one might be worried about my pineapple consumption. I have almost sliced my hand off cutting pineapple. Never again. And last here, the butter pot, so I can keep fresh butter on the counter all the time. I have already mentioned these items in other posts, so you know how much they mean to me.

Whip cream whipper. Again, this has already been blogged about. Dangerous love. I probably should not admit how much this gets used. The hand blender is the only way I blend soups and sauces. We haven't had a normal blender in 5 years. And the salad spinner. Some people don't have salad spinners. I didn't a long time ago—just a lot of wet towels. I don't know what I was thinking.

Tongs. Wow. How did I ever live without these? I use them for everything. The superb zester is for lemon/lime/orange zest and grating nutmeg and ginger. Parchment paper—the only way I don't swear when I bake.

Cast iron grill/griddle and grill press. The grill press is for making panini. The griddle stays on the stove top at all times, which I have mentioned before. I have to say no to teflon (we lost a lovebird to teflon smoke poisoning years ago, have I mentioned this before?) and since I can't find a panini press in the world that doesn't have a non-stick/teflon coating, this combo is wicked phat. And last in this row, the mandoline, which has increased my our veggie consumption 10-fold. It's the crazy thin slices that do it.

Cookie dough scoop.I get a lot of compliments on my baking, which is rad, but it's not me, it's my tools. I mean it. I feel like a cookie making robot when I use this scoop, which is thrilling. A mesh drain!! Seriously, my favorite on this page. Am I insane? Well, yes, after years of fighting with my drain because it always plugged when I wanted it to let water pass though. My life has been greatly improved by a little mesh drain thingy for under 5 bucks. And, lastly, my beloved, kick-bootie turner. I can get any cookie/pancake off with this, no matter how thin, stubborn, or delicate. I can't live without it.

Okay, surely there will be a second round, (including our little pepper grinder!) but this is it so far. Please share your favorite kitchen gadgets! I get a ridiculous amount of joy from of tools that make life easier and/or more pleasing.

July 16, 2008

So, I was making some grilled zucchini for dinner tossed with a little olive oil, fancy salt, and parmesan as a side dish, and ate all of it myself. Oops. I didn't feel bad because no one likes grilled zucchini as much as except maybe baby (because she is a baby). She loves flavors of the salty variety, and who can blame her? I'm laughing looking at these plates. They are from Pottery Barn circa 1992—our first "real" dishes from when we shacked up at 19 years old. So sweet.

I cooked the zucchini on that griddle/grill thing that I referenced in this post. I have been thinking about how much enjoyment I get out of my favorite kitchen tools. I think I will post a list soon. I love sharing kitchen tool/gadget love and hearing about friend's favorites.

We have a lot more zucchini in the CSA box this week. Good thing there are over 500 recipes for it here.

July 14, 2008

Peas. This was from a few weeks back—I don't even know what we did with them. I think they went in a salad? Or a frittata/quiche thing. But they were good. And the small hands love to shell 'um.

3 new items on the stuff-about-me list:

-I was flattered to be asked for 5 craft blog links over on Venus Zine, so I gave them some along with a random out of focus photo of myself which I was hoping would come of as arty, but I think it's just comes off as out of focus. I have been reading the Crafting a Business with Jenny Heart articles over there and they are really awesome. So much information, really and truly—I can't believe how deep she delves into so many complicated topics.

-I was interviewed a for this nice apron article over on Her Times. Thanks Erica!

-I am super excited to see my barrette/pouch project in the glossy pages of the newest Sew Simple magazine (Volume 10). There's a ton of quick and easy sewing projects in this issue, check it out!

July 13, 2008

Here's the 5-minute skirt how to I have been meaning to post. Please see the disclaimer at the bottom.

And are you annoyed trying to read all this while at your sewing machine? I am! So get the PDF version right here. It's kind of a big file, just so you know.

This super easy to sew skirt is 2 pieces, front and back, cut on the bias. The waistband is FOE (fold over elastic) and the hem is rolled with a serger. You don't need a serger for this project—it just means you will need to hem your skirt the traditional way, which is any way you normally would.

Here's what you need:

-skirt fabric (I strongly suggest a woven cotton with a wee bit of stretch. EDIT-—t's better if this fabric has no stretch than a fabric with too much. So a normal woven cotton would work, but not a cotton knit or jersey.)The best way to make sure you have enough fabric is to make your
paper pattern first and take it to the fabric shop. Or, make your paper pattern and measure it out first, if you are ordering fabric online.
Don't forget to get extra fabric for shrinkage.
For a rough guide, figure about 2 1/2 yards for an XL and 2 yards for a XS, depending on the fabric width and your skirt length. This is a generous estimate.

-FOE (fold over elastic) you need this for the waistband, so get at least your waist circumference. You can find it in a gazillion colors at SewZanne's

-A big ol' piece of paper to make your pattern. I love Swedish tracing paper, but you can use whatever is big enough. In a pinch, you can also use muslin or another piece of fabric if you have some lying around. (In a major pinch, you can skip the paper pattern and draw these lines directly on the skirt fabric, but you didn't hear it from me.)

B=A+22" (So, in my fabricated small waist example B=17"+22" which is 39")

C=Your favorite skirt length. (Try measuring your favorite skirt as a guide for the length. If you are serging a rolled hem, no extra is needed. If you are using a traditional hem, add what you need, about 1" should do it if you are making a smallish hem. On my skirt, C =24") When drawing the pattern, Notice how the hem dips a bit, in the front? It's about a 1/2" dip, but it's really not a big deal, include it or leave it out.

2. Lay this pattern out on the bias onto your folded skirt fabric. This means the grain of the fabric should match the arrow on the skirt in that sketch up there, see that? So the skirt pattern will lie at an angle. You will need to cut 2 pieces, which is why the fabric needs to be folded in half. 3/8" seam allowance already included.

3. Sew the skirt side seams right sides together. Turn it right side out and try it on. You
should be able to fit it over your booty with a good tug. If it's too
tight, cut 1/2" off the top to make the waist wider. Don't make it too
big, it should be snug. It will stretch a bit over time.

4. Now sew the FOE onto the waistband using a zigzag stitch, stretching the FOE as you stitch. Try not to stretch the skirt fabric at all. Don't pre-cut the FOE, just stretch and sew it on. It won't fray, so when you are done stitching it on just sew right over the end, overlapping where you started.

5. Using a serger (and wooly nylon thread
if you are extra fancy) serge with 3 thread rolled hem. The wooly nylon
on one cone makes the rolled edge nice and full, covering the fabric
edge completely. If you are sergerless, fold the edge over twice and
edge stitch, or use the hem stitch on your sewing machine (Yes, there
is one!) Go slow and ease as you need to, hemming on the bias can be a
bit swear-y. You could also hem with bias tape, that would look super
cute. You can use this method here.

*Disclaimer: The 5 minutes only apply if you have a serger, all
the supplies at the ready, and are sober. Please allow for extra time
if your personal situation deviates from this.

July 10, 2008

The eggplant told me about this site. They don't ship to the US, so it's just eye candy. Look at these tiny well placed pockets!

So cute. This reminds me of sweaters from 1985 that kind of looked like this. I actually never had any. I was more of the black-sweater-vest-with-the-white-t-shirt-underneath type girl. Or Benetton sweaters. But I love this. Not sure I could pull off the puffy sleeve. Maybe it's more for Sadie. I find it amusing that it's the puffy sleeves that give me pause, not the infantile figures on the front. I think I am going crazy.

July 08, 2008

I want to write on and on about how good these are but I will come off as sounding weird. Pete and I had them for dinner last night (and breakfast before that) and for dessert just now. The kids don't give a hoot about these, thank god. Pete and I are just getting, um, totally insane about them. We are splitting the last one now. We have declared them to be the best fruit/pie combo ever. We keep having the same ridiculous conversation, "These are so good! I can't believe how good these are. . ." It's almost boring, and yet it's true!

These leaked juice like crazy so if you make them, bake them on parchment paper and use another sheet in the rack below to catch the juice. I used the apple galette crust recipe from my cheat sheet and for the filling combined 4 cups chopped rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. I doubled the batch of everything because grammie got such amazing rhubarb at the farmers market. What I just listed above is for a single batch. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 25 min at 350 degrees.

July 07, 2008

Before it felt like summer here (like all of last week) we got some new art supplies to play with. These wood heads on the pencils don't do anything special, but they sure look cute, which is enough.

We also got these rock crayons.

Here's a color sampling. These all came from Stubby Pencil Studio which sells non-creepy art supplies for kids, which is great for so many reasons—especially for the baby crayon eater in the house. My personal favorites are the wood pencil that is a eco-highlighter, the triangular pencils from reforested wood, the watercolor crayons, the rock crayons, and the soy crayons. Oh, and the pencils in that first photo. So, pretty much everything they have. I think I am more excited by these things than the kids are.

July 06, 2008

Like I need an excuse to make another cake—Bend-the-Rules Sewing turned 1! Last month actually, but the book had my 3rd child's b-day to compete with and that is one tough baby. Here's just a smattering of some recent projects from the BTR flickr group. Completely awesome. I get giddy every time I am over there looking at all the amazing projects. Please click on this mosaic to get to see the photos individually.

So here's some book pimpin': The flickr group is now up to a whopping 1700 members with over 3400 images of items made from the book. There are discussion questions galore and great vibes—thank you so much for participating and making this such a cool group. The book went into it's 4th printing in June and is now (or soon) will be carried at your local Michael's, which is thrilling!

And the second book is almost done. Here's a sneak peek that I shouldn't be showing. I have about 2 weeks before it's all due—so I am crazy, which is why I am doing things like making my own deodorant. I am super excited by the huge range of projects in the next book, including this hand printed fabric using a technique I wanted to call "Look Ma, it's an easy silk screen method with no photo emulsion!" but that's kind of a mouthful.

July 03, 2008

On the list today—these are so flippin' cute! I really want to make them. I wish I had seen these a few days ago. I need to remember to check Martha's site earlier then 48 hours before each holiday.

photo from Martha Stewart.com

I am in love with these little fans. It's a printable PDF project so I know I can do this with the girls in time for our family party. I'm printing them as I type this.

Happy 4th you all! I'm gonna go blow stuff up with my brother and cousins tomorrow. Some things never change. Our founding fathers would be proud.

Edit: I just tried to make the fans and after a little swearing (the girls are still in bed) I decided to print two sheets per fan instead of trying to stretch (or tear) one into a circle. You will know exactly what I mean if you try this. Much better.

July 01, 2008

I realize not everyone wants to make their own deodorant. It probably falls into the category of lollipops for some, and for me, crackers. I just think, "Why?" However, I found myself revisiting the homemade deodorant issue again lately, and here's a few good reasons why; I stink, conventional deodorant ingredients freak me out, the natural stuff rarely works for me, and when I have made my own in the past (using rubbing alcohol or just baking soda, etc.) it's not really done the trick. Also, I love the way essential oils smell, especially ylang ylang and orange, which are easy to add to my own concoctions.

I thought all my problems were behind me when I started using Lush's aromacreme 2 years ago. I loved this deodorant. It's soft and smells heavenly. But, like many other users, I eventually got a rash. I had to use it less often, finally got sick of the smell, and the other deodorants Lush sells have ingredients I want to avoid.

Plus, I love making body products and get so sick of reading ingredients and worrying about all that. I also wanted to make my own because I thrive on the Stick-It-To-The-Man feeling I get when I don't have to buy basic necessities that most people assume you have to buy, you know? I find it thrilling.

And recently I have been curious about making crackers, go figure.

So, using the aromacreme texture as a goal, I made my own. I had recently bought and used Florere, which is also a cream deodorant and it's perfectly good—it just doesn't smell amazing. It's also a bit grainy. Here's what I ended up mixing together for this batch:

I melted all the ingredients (except the oils) and gave it a good stir. This only took about 30 seconds in the microwave. Then added the oils, stirred again, and poured it in a jar, then placed it in the fridge to set. This recipe filled the jar in my hand, which is a 1/4 pint.

I bought the cocoa butter and shea butter here. I'm on week 3 and it works so well, I am stunned. When it's cold in the bathroom, it's not as smooth, but the warmth from my fingers softens it up enough to spread on. On hot days the texture is perfect. I can scoop a little bit out of the jar, roll it into a pea-sized ball, and rub it in. I am very very happy with it. I found other recipes online for cream deodorants that have beeswax, vegetable glycerin—all kinds of combos.

It smells wonderful. I had to add a bit more essential oil than you think—shea butter smells strong, not bad, just shea butter-y. If you try this I would highly recommend splitting ingredients with a friend and having a I'm Not A Dirty Hippie party, otherwise you'll end up with a lot of ingredients that could spoil in a year or so. In the next batch I think I will add a little vegetable glycerin to make it softer.

So, next up, homemade toothpaste. I know you can just use baking soda and water, but I also want to try it with a flavor and make it into a paste.

Oh! To report back: I am on month 2 of no shampoo but only baking soda and apple cider vinegar rinse. More info here. And I forgot to mention, I haven't used shampoo on the girls' hair in about 2 years. I know this sounds insane, but the soapy bath water has always been enough. I really hate worrying about soap in their eyes and their hair is always clean and not greasy because I've never used shampoo that has stripped the oils from their hair to begin with. I swear, this is why. I'm just saying. I'm not sure why I didn't make this connection when shampooing my own hair, but I didn't until this latest baking soda kick I have been on.

Occasionally now I do use baking soda and vinegar on them (it's so great because there is no lather to worry about) but usually it's still just a good rise with the bath water. The baking soda is easy to just mix and pour carefully on their heads, but the vinegar I have to dilute a TON and then add essential oil so it smells good, otherwise they freak out. I have a bottle with a spray mister so I can just spritz on the acv and rise. They don't even notice. Sadie's hair is getting quite long, and the vinegar really helps with tangles, so this is awesome. Both girls have very different types of hair, and so far so good. I swear they aren't the stinky kids!

**update: some answers to questions (And thank so much for all the great info you all are leaving! woot!)

-Is the deodorant white or clear? sort of both. Goes on white-ish and gets clear-ish later. I haven't really tested it sleeveless. Does is really work? Yes, for me it does, but you know that's just me—we all react different to this type of stuff, but yes, I can tell you after 3 weeks of using it: 100% NO STINK. Will it keep you dry? absolutely not. I sweat buckets and always have, so I am used to it. How long will it last? Probably 2-3 months, possibly more. I would probably split the batch next time and keep half in the fridge. Do I like the no shampoo thing? Yes I do, I just got my haircut and was told my hair is in great condition, too. I will tell you, I am not super into hair/hair products, you know what I mean. I love my hair, but spend very little time thinking about it. It's not the way, say, shoes are for me, so my expectations and general level of fussiness about my hair is very low.